Standing at the Edge of the Earth
by Katrina no Baka
Summary: This fic is shounen-ai, and a song fic. Heero gets a life-threatening mission, and Duo doesn't want him to go because of his feelings for him. Will they admit thier feelings for each other? Will Heero survive?


Standing at the Edge of the Earth  
by Katrina  
Warnings: shounen-ai, WAFF, kind of sad in some parts  
  
Pairings: 1x2  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, I am making no money off this fanfic, it's only to entertain other yaoi/shounen-ai fans. I also don't own the song "Standing at the Edge of the Earth." I just thought it would make a good songfic. It is sung by Blessid Union of Souls, and I'm not sure who it was written by.  
  
Note: stuff inside "/......./"=lyrics  
  
"*.....*"=thoughts  
  
"~.....~"=scene change  
  
~start fanfic~  
  
The laptop beeped suddenly. One of two figures in the bed moaned softly and went back to sleep, but the other got up to check the message. "Mission accepted," he said, glaring at the computer screen. He then got up and changed from his pajama bottoms to his trademark black spandex shorts and green tank top. Walking towards the door, he heard some movement from the bed.  
  
"Where ya goin' Heero?" Duo asked, his voice a little husky from sleep. The God of Death blinked sleepily and let out a wide yawn before returning his attention to Heero.  
  
"A mission. I have to leave by the afternoon."  
  
"Need help preparing for it? I know you won't let me go with you and all, but..."  
  
"I'll be out in the hangar Duo," Heero said with a slight smile and he walked out the bedroom door and out of the safehouse. He started up the motorcycle he recently "aquired" and headed down the road to the hangar he was keeping Wing in. A slight smile graced his lips as he thought about Duo actually wanting to help him out. Duo was his closest friend, well at least Heero considered him a friend, but he couldn't help wondering if Duo would ever want to be more than his friend.  
  
He had feelings for the braided God of Death for a while now, and even though he was taught that feelings and emotions weren't necessary or intelligent to have or show during times of war, he couldn't help feeling them. He was only human after all, no matter what anyone said, and he had feelings too. Heero's almost happy gaze turned back to a glare as he approached the hangar, when he remembered something else besides how happy Duo made him. He remembered a few certain details about the mission...that is was "highly dangerous and potentially suicidal" and that it "had a high failure percentage."  
  
"Why the hell would they send me an impossible mission like this?" He asked himself aloud.  
  
~back at the safe house~  
  
Duo sighed. Heero was going to be leaving him on a mission again. He didn't want to admit it to anyone but himself, but he was in love with the suicidal Gundam pilot. Duo gazed in the mirror as he unraveled his braid and brushed through his chestnut hair. *Why does this always happen?* He combed his hair faster. *The minute I fell like I'm starting to get closer to him, he has to go on another stupid mission. Why does he always have the long missions too? Those damn scientists, always giving him the kind of missions where he's likely to kill himself too.* "This really pisses me off! Ow! Dammit!" he cried when he snagged the comb on a knot.  
  
Shinigami sighed and rebraided his hair and got dressed in his favorite color...blacker than death. Humming softly, he went outside and got into the work truck he used to haul various machine parts around on. He headed off to the hangar, and thought about Heero the whole way, except for when he got pulled over. Duo looked in the rear view mirror and cursed under his breath. "I have places to go, and beautiful bishounen to see," he muttered.  
  
The policewoman walked up to his window and pulled her sunglasses down so she could look at him over the top of them. "License and registration please." Duo fumbled around the glove compartment and pulled out his fake driver's license and registration. Luckily for him, she was apparently fooled. "Did you know you were going seventy miles per hour in a forty-five mile zone?" she asked.   
  
"Um....well..." Duo said intelligently while grinning like an idiot.   
  
"Well, I'll tell you what. If you promise not to go that far over the speed limit again, I'll let you off with a warning for being a cute kid." She smiled slightly while waiting for an answer.  
  
"Sure," Duo put his hand over his heart. "I promise."  
  
"All right," she pushed her sunglasses up onto the ridge of her nose and started to walk back to her squad car. "Oh yeah, and kid..."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Next time, make sure you have a real driver's license."   
  
~In the hangar~  
  
Heero sighed and looked at the screen inside the cockpit. *I wonder if I'll ever get to tell Duo how I feel...I wonder if I'll ever get to see him again after this.* Heero's thoughts were everywhere, part of his mind was focused on completing the mission, but a larger part of his mind was focused on Duo, and all of the good times they shared. All the times they had fought side by side, all the times they had shared a room at boarding schools, all the times they had shared memories. It was mostly Duo's memories though, Heero had no memories he particularly wanted to share, but Duo had all these wonderful stories about his childhood and where he came from.  
  
Heero loved listening to Duo's stories, they were so interesting, and Heero couldn't help watching the way Duo's mouth moved when he was talking. Oh how he wondered what it would be like to kiss those lips... "Yo, Heero!" Alas, the braided God of Death had arrived.  
  
"I'm in here Duo." Heero closed his eyes. *Should I tell him now? No. Well...when I leave, that's when I'll tell him, when I leave, so if I die, at least I'll have told him.* A cheerful face popped around the side of the door to the cockpit.  
  
"Hey Buddy. What's up? Ready for your mission yet?" Duo gave him a lopsided smile.  
  
"Y-yes," Heero faltered a little. He knew that wasn't a genuine smile. He wanted to see Duo smile for real, a genuinely happy smile. *If only I could make him smile.*  
  
"Well, I guess you better get going then, I didn't want to miss your take off." Something in Duo's eyes glittered, as if his eyes were beginning to water. *Don't cry Duo, he's coming back.* "Can I ask what your mission is about, or would you have to kill me if you told me?" Heero smiled. *He smiled?*  
  
"I guess I can tell you, as long as you swear you won't tell Relena where I'm going," Heero laughed a little as he said this, which shocked Duo, because the only time he had heard Heero laugh was after he had blown someone or something to pieces. "I have to attack a heavily armed OZ base, and take out their new mobile suit shipment."   
  
"Is that all?" Duo smirked.  
  
"Dr.J said it was a potentially dangerous and suicidal mission." His voice turned dark and quieter than usual. "I may not come back from this one Duo." Duo frowned, the sadness finally creeping into his eyes. "Which is why I have to tell you something before I leave Duo. I...I have feelings for you Duo, and I'm not talking about just friendship. I think I'm in love with you." Duo was struck speechless. "I don't mind if you don't feel the same way, I didn't expect you to anyways, I just thought I should tell you before I leave, so if I do die, I'll have no regrets before I do."  
  
Duo's mind was racing. *He's in love with me? Oh my God! I never thought he'd feel the same way. Heero Yuy, Mr. I will never show if I have any feelings for anyone, is in love with me?* He tried to open his mouth to tell Heero he felt the same way about his but the words just wouldn't come out. Heero almost smiled at the fact that Duo was speechless.  
  
"Well, I better get going, I have a mission to complete. Now I have no regrets." He smiled. "Now move out of the way Duo, I have to take off."  
  
"Wait...um H-Heero?" Duo faltered. "I do feel the same way," he said quietly. Heero's eyes widened in shock. Duo moved out of the way so Heero could close the door to the cockpit and take off. Heero was unmoving for a few moments. "Well? Are you gonna take off or what?" asked the braided baka. Heero undid his safety restraints and climbed out of the cockpit to face Duo.  
  
"Did you mean it?" He looked at Duo, his eyes kind of shiny as if he was holding back tears. "He runs, he hides, he does everything, but he never lies. Duo Maxwell," Duo smiled, making a cross-his-heart-and-hope-to-die gesture. And then, for the first time, Heero made a gesture of affection towards Duo, he hugged him. Duo was kind of tense at first, but he soon relaxed and ended up wrapping his arms around the perfect soldier. "Promise me you'll come back Heero," he whispered.  
  
"I will," Heero murmured in Duo's ear, which sent a chill up the braided pilot's spine.   
  
"In...one piece?" he asked breathlessly.  
  
"I will survive." Heero broke off the hug and started walking back towards his Gundam.   
  
"Wait Heero!" Duo grabbed his arm and gently pulled him back around to face him.  
  
"Duo...I have to-" Heero was silenced when Duo gently kissed him on his cheek.  
  
"For good luck," he smiled. "Remember your promise." Heero nodded.  
  
"Goodbye Duo." He got into the cockpit and closed the hatch, then sat there for a moment touching his cheek where Duo had kissed him. He smiled and closed his eyes, then started the engine.  
  
"Good luck and Goodbye." Duo frowned, he said a silent prayer that Heero would come back safely.  
  
/I knew that this moment would come in time,   
  
that I'd have to let go and watch you fly.../  
  
Heero roared out of the hangar, and Duo watched silently as he took off from the edge of the runway. He felt something inside him break as he watched the pilot he loved fly off into the afternoon sunlight.  
  
/I know you're coming back so why am I dying inside?/  
  
Heero remembered how shocked Duo looked when he had told him. He wondered if he was really that emotionless that Duo couldn't see the love in his eyes. He had seen something in Duo's eyes, but at the time he thought it was deep friendship and that's it. He never knew Duo had felt the same way about him, though sometimes it seemed like it. Every time Duo did something nice for him, Heero's love grew.   
  
*This mission's going to be a lot tougher now, I won't be able to stop thinking about him for the whole time.*  
  
/Are you searching for words that you can't find?   
  
Trying to hide your emotions, eyes don't lie  
  
Guess there's no easy way to say goodbye/  
  
Duo was typing away at the computer in the hangar. Dr.J came up on the screen. "Having problems Heero?" he asked, "Wait, you're not Heero...why are you on his IP? How do you know his code?"  
  
"Heero's not the only one who can crack a computer code," Duo said, something malicious in his eyes. "Tell me where he's going, I won't let him die on this mission.."  
  
"I'm afraid I can't do that, even if you are a fellow Gundam pilot. You see, this is a top-secret mission, you're not even supposed to know about it. How did you find out anyway?"  
  
"Heero told me, we do share the same safe house, so I would have found out eventually anyways."  
  
"I still can't tell you-"  
  
"In the name of colonies! Tell me where he is old man! For his SAKE!"  
  
"I can't tell you, but I can tell you his Gundam's radio and monitor frequency." Dr.J smiled and opened and closed his mechanical hand.  
  
"Fine," Duo closed his eyes, "I'll deal with that." A few minutes later, Duo was in his Gundam, standing at the edge of the runway, looking out onto the horizon, over the ocean. He looked at the clouds, the way the wind blew them they resembled Heero's face, then he shook his head and the image was gone. *I must have just imagined it.*  
  
/So I'll be standing at the edge of the earth  
  
Hoping that someday you'll come back again  
  
I'll be standing at the edge of the earth hoping for someday/  
  
He tried to raise Heero on the monitor. "Heero, are you there?" The screen flickered once or twice before Heero finally came up on the screen.   
  
"Duo?"  
  
"Oh, I'm so glad that I finally got ahold of you." Duo smiled. "Why not let Shinigami in on the action eh?"  
  
"Duo, it's too dangerous...I can't let you-"  
  
"Aww..C'mon Heero, I can handle it."  
  
"But what if you-"  
  
"You can't kill death Heero. Let me help you. Tell me where you are and save me the trouble of having to track you down." Duo stared at Heero's emotionless expression.  
  
/Don't misunderstand what I'm trying to stay../  
  
"I'm not going to let you leave this way Heero. I want to...protect you." Heero smiled.   
  
*He wants to protect me?* Heero thought he would always end up protecting Duo.  
  
/I don't want to let you leave this way  
  
I want you to know that I'll be right by your side/  
  
"I'm going to fight by your side Heero...if you'll let me." Duo's eyes began to tear up slightly. But he looked at the screen, and so did Heero's. He never imagined Heero could cry.  
  
"I'm headed for the Lake Tomo Military base." The tear dripped down his cheek.  
  
/And I know this may be  
  
the very last time we see each other cry  
  
But whatever happens know that I'll.../  
  
"All right Heero, I'm going to help you. I won't refuse to let you die! And if you do, I won't let you die alone!" With this, Duo ended the transmission and took off in the direction of the military base. Heero looked at the monitor where Duo's transmission had been, Duo was so determined to protect him. Heero felt more tears trickle down his cheek and into the top of his tank top.   
  
*How could he have gotten through my defenses? How did he make me cry?* Heero sat pondering this for a long while before getting ahold of himself and re-focusing on the mission ahead.  
  
/I'll be standing at the edge of the earth  
  
Hoping that one day you'll come back again  
  
I'll be standing at the edge of the earth hoping that someday   
  
You'll come back to me/  
  
Duo said a prayer as he flew the aircraft carrying his mobile suit towards the place Heero had told him. "Please God, or whoever may be in charge up there, don't let him die. Please don't let him die."  
  
/I'll be praying for whatever it's worth  
  
Believing that one day you'll come back to me/  
  
*Please come back to me Heero, I'm going to help you, I'm going to make sure you come back home with me.*  
  
/I'll be standing at the edge of the earth  
  
Hoping for someday  
  
And I know this may be  
  
The very last time that we see each other cry  
  
But whatever happens know that I'll.../  
  
~At Lake Tomo Military base~  
  
Wing Gundam stood at the opposite side of the lake. Heero stared across the lake from the door of the cockpit. It looked beautiful with the sunlight glinting on the water. He wished he could share this moment with Duo. The reflecting light reminded him of the beautiful glint in Duo's eyes, and how happy they always looked. He quickly shook the intoxicating thought out of his mind. "It's time to start the attack."  
  
Wing's thrusters roared as her took off head on to the base. They didn't even detect him on the radar, however, they did see him. "Enemy at 12:00! Arm and prepare all mobile suits for attack!" The television screen blinked and showed Heero's approach. "Lieutenant Zechs! Enemy is on screen!" the soldier shouted.  
  
"Prepare Tallgeese at once," Zechs Merquise adjusted his mask and headed to the hanger, past the hundreds of Leos, Aries, and Taurus suits that were preparing for battle. "We will shoot him down!" The first line of Leos rushed towards the enemy mobile suit.   
  
"What is that?"  
  
"It's a Gundam!" They fired their cannons and machine guns, like a wall of death.  
  
/I'll be standing at the edge of the earth  
  
Hoping that one day you'll come back again  
  
I'll be standing at the edge of the earth hoping that someday  
  
You'll come back to me/  
  
Duo went as fast as possible, so that soon he was within a hundred miles of the base. *I hope I make it.*  
  
/I'll be praying for whatever it's worth  
  
Believing that one day you'll come back to me  
  
I'll be standing at the edge of the earth  
  
Hoping for someday/  
  
The buster rifle charged and fired. Heero was at an angle that he took out 7 Leos in one shot. All over the place Leos were exploding, one here, one there. The soldiers were in utter chaos, the only ones keeping a cool head were Heero and Zechs, who was taking Tallgeese out of the hangar. A lot of the Leos retreated, thinking that the Aries could handle him. Some Taurus suits were backing up the Aries.  
  
/Waiting for someday Believing in someday Praying for someday, I'll be...  
  
Longing for someday Clinging to someday Cherishing someday, I'll be.../  
  
Wing Gundam charged and smashed into an oncoming Taurus, then it drove it's shield into another's center. He held up his arm to defend against the Aries' cannon fire, then aimed the buster rifle at them and blew them away. Suddenly, he suffered a heavy hit from behind and Wing faltered, sinking to it's knees. He turned Wing's head and there stood Tallgeese.  
  
"It's nice to see you again Mr. Yuy," Zechs purred over the intercom. Heero said nothing, he just glared at the screen angrily. "What have you come here to accomplish?"  
  
"Sore wa himitsu desu." Heero smiled a secretive and slightly malicious smile.  
  
"Are you sure? If you've come here to destroy this military base, or it's mobile suits, you HAVE ANOTHER THING COMING!!!" Zechs pulled out Tallgeese's beam saber and slashed Wing across the chest. Heero jerked around the cockpit, and struggled to get up off the ground, the vulcan cannons on Wing's head aiming for Tallgeese.  
  
/Thinking of someday Dreaming of someday Wishing for someday, I'll be...  
  
Living for some day Counting on someday Knowing that one day.../  
  
Heero cringed, Wing was badly damaged and the enemy, along with Zechs was closing in on him. There was a sudden massive explosion behind Tallgeese, which sent the suit jetting forwards and stumbling over Wing, landing on one of it's knees on the other side of it. "What the...?"  
  
"It's not fair, outnumbering the enemy at around fifty-to-one..." The dark figure that the voice was coming from raised it's scythe in the air.  
  
/I will see you./  
  
"Duo?"   
  
"I'm finally here Heero, Shinigami's gonna send all of these bastards to hell, or take them with him." Duo smiled psychotically, he was angry. Zech's had tried to kill the person he loved most, and he wasn't about to let him do that. Scythe raised, he charges, jumping over Wing, he landed gracefully and sliced three Aries in half. Tallgeese got to it's feet and shot at the back of Deathscythe, aiming to land a fatal blow, but the laser didn't hit it's target, instead it hit Wing. The mobile suit stood there, it's legs braced for the heavy attack, shield raised.  
  
"No one hurts my Duo!" Heero shouted, not even realizing he had said it out loud. Wing went down on it's weakened knee for a moment then got back up and charged full speed at Tallgeese, ramming it.  
  
"Heero!" Duo sliced up another Taurus and rushed to Heero's fallen Gundam.  
  
"I'm allright Duo." Tallgeese tried to get up, but the mechanisms in it's left leg were not functioning. Duo walked up and took the laser from Zechs. "We didn't come here to kill you Zechs," Heero started, "even though it wasn't a fair fight, I'll let you live."  
  
"Lieutenant Zechs? Are you allright?" a soldier asked.  
  
"Back off and surrender," Duo muttered, "I think we've won this one.  
  
"Don't be too sure," Heero started, "there are more mobile suits in the base." He started a transmission to the base. "You have 2 minutes to evacuate all troops from the military base, I advise you leave your mobile suits there, that way you can get all your men out before I destroy it." The 2nd in command of the base showed up on the screen.   
  
"We won't surrender so easily Gundam!" He turned to one of the officers next to him. "Deploy all units! Take down the enemy!" More mobile suits poured out to the combat area as the warning sirens went off.   
  
"Duo, I'm going to blow up that base. Cover me please?"   
  
"I told you I'd fight by your side Heero. I'll be by your side too if you'll let me." Duo sped off to meet the oncoming Leos and Last few Taurus, firing away with his vulcan cannons and slicing off the Leos' heads with his scythe. Heero flew up into the air and pulled out his buster rifle. He saw a movement out of the corner of his eye.  
  
An Aries suit attacked, shooting it's cannons at him from above. He charred the buster rifle and shot at it. Miss! "Damn it!" He cried, Wing falling in the middle of the base. "I have one alternative left..." He started pushing the different buttons on his armrest. "Goodbye Duo." The Gundam glew brightly for a second, then seemed to shatter as it self destructed.  
  
"Nooooo!!!!!" Duo gritted his teeth and destroyed the attacking Leo that was preventing him from running over to the site of the explosion. The whole base smoked, destroyed mobile suits lay everywhere, here and there were a few dead soldiers. Most of them had done the smart thing and evacuated, but some of them died trying to fight. Tears trickled down Duo's face as he stepped out of his machine.  
  
"Heero?" He ran through the flames, looking for him. "Heero?" Wing wasn't even recognizable. He couldn't even find Heero's body. He collapsed to the floor, sobbing. "No. NO! Why? Why?! WHY?!!" Not even a part of the cockpit had survived. "He's...gone! Why?" He choked on sobs, "I loved him dammit!" He sat there and mourned for hours before getting back in his Gundam. He closed the cockpit and sat in the seat, looking at the floor, eyes full of depression.  
  
"Are you gonna get me to a hospital or what?" Heero smiled as Duo screamed and jumped out of the seat before whirling around to face him. "You're lucky I'm not bleeding internally of I would be dead by now," Heero adjusted the bandages on his chest and arms. "I had to borrow every bandage in your first aide kit, I hope you don't mind..."  
  
"You...you...YOU-"  
  
"Shhh. I'll get you some more don't worry." He couldn't help smiling at Duo's pale expression, he looked like he had seen a ghost.  
  
"DON'T YOU EVER DO THAT TO ME AGAIN HEERO YUY!!!!!!!" Duo glared at Heero, which kind of scared him, he had never seen Duo this angry. "Omae o korosu!" he yelled, stealing Heero's infamous line. Heero backed up against the wall in shock. Duo looked him in the eye for half a minute, fuming before closing the cockpit door. "You scared me half to death you know," he said angrily, starting up the engine, "and I should kill you for that."  
  
"I'm sorry Duo. I didn't mean to scare you." Duo walked the suit back to the aircraft and brought Heero up to the cockpit of the plane.  
  
"Sit," he said, like a command. Heero nodded and sat down, he didn't want to argue because Duo was already angry enough. Duo set the plane on autopilot and sat down to relax. After a few moments of pure silence besides the plane engines running, Duo spoke. "You're forgiven."  
  
"Thank you. At least I kept my promise."  
  
"As soon as we get back you're going to the hospital."  
  
"But...I was joking..I mean, I wasn't serious about the hospital thing."  
  
"Does it look like I care?" Duo got up and kneeled in front of Heero, looking into his eyes. He was glaring, his eyes as dark as night.  
  
"Are you sure you forgive me, you still look angry." Heero shifted in his seat. Duo smiled.  
  
"Am I making you nervous Heero?" Duo leaned in really close. Heero stared into his eyes.  
  
"Well I-" Duo silenced him with a kiss, and wrapped his arms around the soldier's neck.   
  
"Promise me you'll never do something that suicidal again."  
  
"I would, but I'll probably break it."  
  
"Promise me anyways..."  
  
"Okay, I promise."  
  
"Good."  
  
"Duo?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I Love you."  
  
"I love you too." They fell asleep shortly after, and slept until they we're approaching home, Heero with his arms around Duo, and Duo with his head in Heero's lap.  
  
~Fin~  
  
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